Cricket bat-making firm owner kidnapped in Meerut

A prominent businessman was kidnapped along with his driver in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut town, police said Wednesday. The kidnappers have asked for a ransom of Rs 2 crore.

Sudhir Mahajan, the managing director of a cricket bat-manufacturing firm, was abducted late Tuesday in Meerut, some 450 km from here. He was driving back to his home in Defence Colony in the Lal Kursi area when the kidnappers struck, said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Meerut K. Satyanarayan.

Mahajan's car was found abandoned in the Bawana area.

On Wednesday morning, his son Siddharth received an SMS from his father's mobile phone in which the abductors sought a ransom of Rs.2 crore for releasing him.

District police chief has formed surveillance and special teams. The Special Operations Group (SOG) has also been pressed into service, but no leads have been found yet, an official said. u00a0